I was an angry protester for one day / Grenfell Tower Inferno..

Welcome / Welcome back, I hope you are all enjoying the weather if you are based in London. It’s been extremely hot, the past few days. Summer really is here! This month has been an extremely sad one in my hometown London. There has been some horrible incidents including the Grenfell Tower inferno and the Finsbury Park Mosque terror incident. The fire burned down 24 storey Grenfell tower in Latimer road, which is actually very close too my house. Several people died and the figures are still very inaccurate and unclear. People were forced to jump out of the building and some had no choice but to throw babies out of windows, which is absolutely heartbreaking. Keep reading, to find out why I marched in a protest in honour of the victims below.

I like to think I’m quite plugged in, I’ve always been interested in my surroundings. I’m always alert. I don’t watch the news every single day but I read the newspaper on the way to work or university or flick through the Daily Mail on my phone. I believe we all have a duty to unite and use our eyes and ears and stand up for what is right. I have never been one to stand and watch something happen that I don’t agree with. I am extremely opinionated. Some people prefer to stay back and blend in with the crowd. I’d say I’m the only Strawberry in a smoothie full of Bananas.

I guess that’s why I joined the ‘Day Of Rage Protest’ on the 21st June. The protest was a peaceful one as anyone knows that as soon as anything violent happens, the media or anyone else will just focus on that. However people were extremely angry but there was no violence, at all. This was my first protest and it felt amazing to be apart of a movement so strong and fierce. We marched from Shepard’s bush Green to the Houses of Parliament, it was very hot but I am very happy, I went. It feels great, to make a difference. We can all make a difference.

I was with my Mum and there was so many people there, it was a great turnout. Some people were there for different reasons, Such as Theresa May or the NHS. I was there for Grenfell Tower, I am absolutely disgusted by what has happened. Honestly yesterday at the protest, a Journalist approached me and asked me if I knew anyone in the inferno, I replied, “you don’t have to know anyone that lived there, to be here as this affects us all”. Why are some Londoners more important than others, surely that shouldn’t be the case?

If this building was in an another area of London say, Knightsbridge and privately owned, surely the sufficient materials, would have been put there in the first place, not cladding. If the people weren’t “working class”, there might have been more fire fighters, more equipment, maybe even helicopters on hand to assist the blazing fire. More could have been done. Materials used failed safety checks. Police have said they will consider manslaughter charges as part of the investigation into the disaster. I feel this is the only option. Many feel let down by Theresa May. She hasn’t really showed any compassion at all, I find it very hard too believe she actually cares about the victims. Her speeches and ‘reactions’, feel extremely unemotional and stiff.

These people have been dismissed and this could have been avoided so I would go as far as too say they have been murdered. It is an absolute tragedy. You don’t need to know anyone from the building, to feel sad or sorry for these innocent people. It could have been someone you know, the reality is, it could have been any of us. I believe every home should be a safe one and health and safety comes first.

During the protest, I was surrounded by chants such as “Hey Hey Theresa May, how many kids have you killed today”? This sounds harsh but it is true. I joined in with the chants. “May must go” was one of my personal favourites. When we got to Parliament, there was police on hand to ‘intervene’ however this was quite annoying as I felt they didn’t really want us too have our say. They wanted us too move on. Some people got angry and I witnessed two small incidents, which weren’t actually a very big deal however BBC news showed footage of the incident which was typical of our media today as it made it look like the protest was out of hand, however this was not the case at all. I’ve seen newspapers focus on the small incidents that happened at the protest rather than focus on people gathering too be united, which is an awful shame. Social media is important as you can get involved on Twitter or Facebook by using relevant hash tags and follow accounts such as the London Socialist party. I used Snapchat to show my followers what was going on at the protest. Check out what I uploaded onto my Snapchat story on the day below.

I feel London is extremely divided at the moment and we must at least attempt to stand together. If we speak up and show that we care, we will see justice and change. I’ll finish this post with a song. ‘Bridge over troubled water’, the charity song for Grenfell Tower the song includes Stormzy, Craig David and others. Please listen and download it. If possible please donate money to help the victims and families affected. Donate here http://artistsforgrenfell.com